A San Diego school teacher has won a major settlement in a lawsuit that accused her superiors of labeling her a lesbian “witch”.

Rose Tagnesi was head of her school district’s Special Education Department for over a decade when she was suddenly demoted to a class teaching role at the direction of what she described as an anti-LGBTQ+ majority on the school board.

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Her demotion followed an unrelated sex-trafficking case at the school that Tagnesi wasn’t named in, and a subsequent investigation targeting her.

The hostile climate created by the earlier inquiry set the stage for a broader “discriminatory campaign” by the board majority, she alleged in her suit, which included her demotion, LGBTQ+ book bans, and cutting ties with an LGBTQ+ mental health care provider previously contracted by the district.

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“Ms. Tagnesi, a proud member of the LGBTQ community who served GUHSD [Grossmont Union High School District] for over 28 years in exemplary fashion, was one of the many victims of the anti-LGBTQ majority board’s discriminatory campaign,” her lawsuit said.

Tagnesi also alleged that the investigation’s lead attorney wrote in reference to her, “one down, one to go,” in a text message.

“I’ve never been told what I did. I’ve never been told what I was accused of doing. I’ve never been even asked a question,” Tagnesi told ABC affiliate KGTV last year about the investigation and her lawsuit.

Tagnesi alleged that her supervisor advised her to keep a “low profile” about her sexuality, citing hostility among board members for gay people.

Tagnesi accused one board trustee of referring to her and another female staffer as “witches” who were part of an “LGBTQ coven.”

The board member also claimed that the same second female staffer was only hired because Tagnesi thought, “she is hot.”  

The Grossmont Union High School District will pay Tagnesi $700,000 over the next 20 years under terms of the settlement, the San Diego Union Tribune reported on Tuesday. They’ll also cover nearly $500,000 in attorneys’ fees as part of the deal.  

A spokesperson for the district made clear that Tagnesi’s employers didn’t admit wrongdoing in relation to her claims. The district said it agreed to settle “to allow all parties to move forward in the most productive way possible.”

“In the future, I’m hopeful the district will take decisive action toward creating the culture of inclusivity its students and teachers deserve,” Tagnesi said in a statement following the settlement.

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